Refrigeration apparatus



July 12, 1949. R. E. TOBEY REFRIGERATION APPARATUS Filed May 31, 1946 FIG/3.

FIGLL 20 INVENTOR RAYMOND E. TOBEY.

ATTORNEY Patented July 12, 1949 REFRIGERATION APPARATUS Raymond E. Tobey, Springfield, Masa, assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 31, 1946, Serial No. 873.582

8 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigeration apparatus and more particularly to a. refrigerator having a compartment for the storage of frozen foods and a second compartment for unfrozen foods in which refrigerator both compartments are cooled by a single cooling unit.

Refrigerators are known in which a single cooling unit cools a low-temperature compartment for frozen foods and an intermediate-temperature compartment, the latter compartment being cooled by a forced circulation of air over the cooling unit which air then passes through ducts surrounding the intermediate-temperature compartment. The forced circulation of air is usually effected by an electric fan or similar mechanical device.

It is an object of this invention to provide a duct system for cooling the intermediate-temperature compartment by means of a low-temperature cooling unit, which duct system does not require the use of an air-circulating fan.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a duct system for cooling the intermediatetemperature compartment with a low-temperature cooling unit, through which duct system th cooling air flows by gravity.

These and other objects are effected by the invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of the refrigerator cabinet of this invention with the door open;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line IIII of Fig. 1, but with the door closed;

Fig. 3 is a section on theline III-III of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a section on the line IV-IV of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, the reference numeral 1 designates a refrigerator cabinet comprising a metal outer shell l2 and an inner metal liner i4 spaced from the outer shell. The space between the outer shell I2 and the liner I4 is packed with loose heat-insulating material It. The front edges of the outer shell and liner are joined by a heat breaker strip it. A door 20. having a rubber gasket 22, forms the front wall of the cabinet [0.

A cooling unit 24 is located in the upper portion of the cabinet and is spaced from the upper wall 26, from the two side walls 28 and from the rear wall 30 of the liner it. The cooling unit 24 comprises a sheet metal box having an open front and having refrigerant tubing 32 secured to the outer surface thereof. The cooling unit 24 is refrigerated to a temperature of about zero degrees Fahrenheit and provides a storage space for frozen foods.

A rectangular food storage receptacle 33 is located in the cabinet Ill below the cooling unit 24 to dense.

and is spaced from the cooling unit and from th two side walls, the rear wall, and the bottom wall of the inner liner l4. A baffle, is located approximately centrally in each of the spaces between the side walls of the cooling unit 24 and the side wall 23 of the cabinet it. Each of the baflles 34 extends from an upper horizontal edge of the compartment 33 to within a short distance of the upper wall 26 and to the rear wall 30 of the cabinet A wall 36 extends from each of the rear vertical edges of the receptacle 33 to the rear wall 30 of the cabinet it. Another wall 33 joins the front edges of the cooling unit, the front edges of the receptacle 33, and the front edge portions of the inner liner l4 to enclose the air spaces around the cooling unit 24 and the receptacle 33. A rubber gasket 40 on the door 20 contacts the portion of the wall 38 which is located between the cooling unit 24 and the receptacle 33 to prevent interchange of air between the cooling unit 24 and the receptacle 33. A baiiie 42 is located between the cooling unit 24 and the receptacle 33 to prevent excessive cooling of the upper wall of the receptacle 33 by direct radiation of heat to the cooling unit it and by direct circulation of air between the cooling unit 24 and the receptacle 33.

It will be apparent from the above that this construction provides communicating air ducts which surround the cooling unit 24 and the food receptacle 33, respectively, onnve of their sides. The air immediately surrounding the cooling unit 24, on being cooled, contracts and becomes heavier than the other air in the duct system and descends by gravity down the air space at the rear of the receptacle 33. The cool air thereafter flows into the air space below the receptacle 33 and expands as it becomes warmed by the heat leaking into the cabinet through the insulation and by the relatively warm comestibles which may be stored in the receptacle 33. It then will be forced upwardly through air spaces on both sides of the receptacle 33 by the colder and heavier air descending from the cooling unit 24 down the-rear wall of the receptacle 33. It will continue its rise upwardly in the air spaces between each of the baffles 34 and the side walls 23 of the cabinet I. to the upper portion of the air spaces surrounding the cooling unit 24. This air, on being cooled, will repeat the circuit just described. The receptacle 33 is cooled to a temperature of about 40 F The walls of the receptacle 33 are cooled relatively uniformly by the circulation of air in the air spaces surrounding the receptacle 33. Hence, there will be no excessively cold portion contacting the air in the receptacle 33 on which the moisture of the air in the receptacle 33 will con- The atmosphere in the receptacle 33,

3 therefore, can be maintained at a relatively high humidity such as 90%. i

It will be apparent from the above that this invention provides a refrigerator having an intermediate-temperature compartment which is cooled by a gravitational fiow of air around the compartment, and hence needs no forced circula-. tion of this air.

While the invention has been shown'in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without de-' I parting from the spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. In a refrigerator having an insulated and substantially rectangular cabinet, a cooling unit and a substantially rectangular food storage receptacle in said cabinet, said food storage receptacle being below said cooling unit, said recepta'cle and said cooling unit each having a side wall and the rear wall spaced from a side wall and the rear wall of said cabinet to define air spaces along said side and rear walls of the cabinet, said food storage receptacle being spaced from the bottom of said cabinet and said cooling unit being spaced from the top of said food storage receptacle, the combination with said refrigerator of a baflle having a first portion extended upwardly from an upper portion of said receptacle into the space between the cooling unit and the Side wall of the cabinet to form an air duct on each side of said baille portion with the duct between the cooling unit and said baille portion communicating with the space between the cooling unit and the receptacle, the front and rear edges of said first baille portion extending to the adjacent vertical walls of said cabinet, and the topedge of said baflle portion being spaced'from the top wall of said cabinet, said baflie having a second portion extending from said receptacle adjacent the junction of said side and rear walls thereof to an adjacent vertical wall'of said cabinet.

, 2. In a refrigerator including an insulated cabinet containing a cooling unit in the upper portion thereof and a storage receptacle below said cooling unit, said cabinet, said cooling unit, and said receptacle each having an access opening at the front of the refrigerator, said cooling unit and receptacle each having a side wall spaced from the same side wall of the cabinet and a rear wall spaced from the rear wall of the-cabinet to define air spaces along said side and rear walls of the cabinet, said receptacle having a bottom wall spaced from the bottom wall of said cabinet to define an air space along said bottom wall of the cabinet which air space communicates with said first-named air spaces, a closure wall at the front of said cabinet, said closure wall having a first portion enclosing the spaces between the side wall side wall of the cabinet and from said side wall of the cooling unit, said baiiie being also spaced from the upper wall of said cabinet andextending from said closure wall at the front of the cabinet to the rear wall of the cabinet.

3. The refrigerator deiflned in the immediately preceding claim wherein said baiiie has a depending portion which forms a dividing wall beduct system comprising a first portion for downwardly moving air, a second portion for upwardly moving air, and a third portion providing communication between the lower ends of said first and second portions, said first and second portions communicating with one another adjacent the upper portion of said cooling unit, the upper I .part of said first portion being in intimate heat exchange relationship with said cooling unit and at least a section of said upper part lying between said cooling unit and the upper part of said second duct portion, said section of the first duct portion and said upper part of the second duct portion lying adjacent to one another, the walls of said duct system being of imperforate heat conducting material adjacent the food storage of the cabinet and the side walls of the cooling 00 unit and the receptacle, said closure wall having a second portion enclosing the space between the bottom wall of the food storage receptacle and the bottom wall of the cabinet, a baille extending upwardly from the upper edge of the spaced side wall of the receptacle into the space between the side wall of the cabinet and the side wall of the cooling unit, said baille being spaced from said space to cool said space and to prevent the air in said duct system from intermingling with the air in said food storage space.

5. The refrigerator defined in the immediately preceding claim wherein the lower part ofsaid first duct portion lies adjacent the rear wall of said cabinet, said second duct portion lies adjacent the side wall of said cabinet, and said third duct portion lies adjacent the bottom wall of said cabinet.

6. The refrigerator defined in the immediately preceding claim wherein said second duct comprisesv two conduits, -each conduit lying adjacent a side wall of said cabinet.

7. The refrigerator defined according to the immediately preceding claim wherein said first and second duct portions have a wall in common ad-- jacent the food storage space and a second wall in common adjacent the cooling unit.

8. The refrigerator defined in claim 4 wherein the upper portion of said first duct is in intimate heat exchange relationship with the top, side, bottom, and rear wall of the cooling unit.

RAYMOND E. TOBEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of' record in the file of this patent: v

UNITED STATES PATENTS Tobey Apr. 10, 1945 

